About

Dual Powers: Revolution 1917 - A Board Game for 1-2 Players

$45,021

pledged of $30,000 goal

1,441

backers

Dual Powers: Revolution 1917 is an area control strategy game for 1-2 players. Each player directs the forces of the conservative Provisional Government or the socialist activists of the Petrograd Soviet in a struggle for power and influence that will shape Russia’s future and either launch or
suppress the impending civil war.

In Dual Powers: Revolution 1917, each game round is divided into 5 phases -- the Draw Phase, the Objective Phase, the Action Phase, the Scoring Phase, and the Cleanup Phase.

DRAW PHASE - Each player draws 5 command cards.

OBJECTIVE PHASE - Each player selects a secret objective, placing it face down on the game board.

ACTION PHASE - Taking turns, each player plays 4 command cards to recruit units, move units, refresh units, or take a leader's special ability. With each card played, the date on the calendar advances, and players will sometimes earn a bonus action.

SCORING PHASE - Up to 3 regions of the board are scored based on which player has the greatest strength, including the region of unrest, and each of the players' secret objectives. Tokens in the scored regions are exhausted.

CLEANUP PHASE - The region of unrest and the placement of the blockade token changes. All played cards and the players' secret objectives are discarded.

If either player moves the marker on the support track to the "victory" space on their side of the board, they immediately win. Otherwise, at the end of the round in which the month marker is on the October space or later, the game ends and the player with the most support is the winner!

Want to take a closer look to how the game works? Download the beta version of the rulebook.

Want to experience how Dual Powers: Revolution 1917 plays before pledging? Go ahead and download the FREE print and play version, grab some tokens and try it yourself!

Dual Powers: Revolution 1917 is available to play for free on Tabletopia!

Note: Tabletopia is a sandbox board game room - there are no rules enforced, so you do need to read the rule book before playing.

"If you guys like games like Twilight Struggle or 1960, if you like these thematic games / historic games, I think this may be the game for you. A lot of interesting decisions in the game." -- Jeremy Salinas, Man vs. Meeple

"Dual Powers is easy to learn, and difficult to master. Players will continually explore layers of deep strategy every time it hits the table!" -- Derek Funkhouser, Boardgame Spotlight

"It’s a card-driven game. It’s an engine I like very much, a mechanic I like very much when it comes to historical games....This is a fun game that I find quite enjoyable.” - Marco "Wargamer" Arnaudo, Game Reviewer

"This is the highest rating I've ever given a Kickstarter preview, and the game totally deserves it!... Honestly, I don't have any criticisms of the game. It's easy to learn, fast to play, balanced, exciting, fun, and even a bit educational. There's nothing here not to like." - George Jaros, Game Reviewer at GJJ Games

“I played Dual Powers as a prototype more than a year ago during development, and I wished I could buy it on the spot! The game has a high degree of strategic depth and subterfuge that cleverly emulates the time period and events it represents.” - Scott Bogen, Game Reviewer for the Boardgame Show

"Dual Powers has all the elements of a classic card game and the feeling of a tight 2 player war game. Lots of double thinking your opponent and hoping your long term strategy pays off. Can't wait to see this in print!" - Jeph Stahl, co-designer of Academy Games' Birth of America series

"I'm a Kickstarter curmudgeon. Despite hanging out and running campaigns on Kickstarter for years, I have yet to back a single game. That's changing when Dual Powers goes live. I love everything about it: the viscerally beautiful art, the original mechanics (OH THE CALENDAR MECHANIC), the fact that it's tuned like a fine Stradivarius for one and two players, and most of all, the way a few simple rules magically conspire to thrust me into the middle of the Russian Revolution. I'm beyond smitten." -- Nick Bentley, designer/developer/marketer at North Star Games (Evolution, Happy Salmon)

"Dual Powers is a smart, engaging mix of modern and traditional gameplay. Cleverly invoking what’s fun — and familiar — about cribbage, it goes on to deliver a completely new experience set against a flavorful historical backdrop. The first time I played Dual Powers, when the game ended, I demanded that we immediately play again. If you enjoy games like Twilight Struggle, you owe it to yourself to try Dual Powers." - Jeff Tidball, designer/writer (Horus Heresy, Pieces of Eight, Dragon Age RPG)

"I actually like how the game feels, plays and looks. I do get that feeling of being immersed in the political upheaval but in a light, slightly removed, almost passive way... I was surprised that this fairly simple game packs in a great deal of solo entertainment." - Giles, Game Reviewer for Both Sides of My Table.

"I love it!" - Josef, playtester, age 8

Shipping is included to the US

+$8 to Canada

+$14 to the EU

+$20 to everywhere else

Shipping charges are automatically added after selecting a pledge level.

We are proud to partner with Quartermaster Logistics, the premier provider of Kickstarter fulfillment in the gaming industry. Your games will be safely packed by their professional team, and you’ll be emailed a tracking number when your package ships. Learn more about Quartermaster Logistics at qmlogistics.com.

Brett Myers is experienced board game designer and a playful learner.
Dual Powers will be his fourth published game. His previous work includes Rome: City of Marble, from R & R Games, Nanuk, from Steve Jackson Games, and The Lord of the Rings Dice Building Game, from WizKids Games. Brett runs a weekly game group called Madison Board Games and Beer, which meets every Tuesday at a neighborhood pub in his home town of Madison, WI. He blogs at www.playwithoutfear.net, where he writes about his design process and experiences.
Brett also loves cooking, gardening and brewing beer.

The illustration in Dual Powers was done by the talented Kwanchai Moriya. Kwanchai is a versatile artist with multiple styles. He has worked on other board games such as: Flip Ships, Dinosaur Island, Kokoro, Catacombs, Island Hopper, Coaster Park, Kepler-3042, Einstein, Capital Lux, Kodama The Tree Spirits, Days of Ire, and many more. Check out his latest stuff over at http://www.kwanchaimoriya.com.

Printing a board game is expensive and Thunderworks Games is a small company. Without the help of backers on Kickstarter, Dual Powers: Revolution 1917 simply will not exist.
I need your support to make this game a reality. The design is complete. The art is complete. Now, all I need is enough people who think Dual Powers is as cool and fun as I do to join me and we can fire up the printing press!

Backer Benefits!

Upgrade the Game - With each stretch goal reached, the overall quality of the game will improve the overall quality of the game for all gamers.

Be Part of the Journey - Thunderworks games is known for being transparent in the production process. Get exposure to each step of the process from funding to delivery!

Support a Small Publisher - Help a small independent publisher bring great games to life.

Early Access - Backers will be first to get their games. Receive the game before it hits retail.

Help us spread the word! Share, follow, like, thumb, tweet, or whatever else you can think of!

This is Thunderworks Games' fifth project funded through Kickstarter. All previous projects have been delivered to backers -- Bullfrogs, Roll Player, Roll Player: Monsters & Minions, and Blend Off! We plan to also deliver this great game to you with good/frequent/honest communication within a reasonable timeline. I truly believe in this project and I'd appreciate your support. I am dedicated to transparency throughout this campaign. This game is for you, the gamer. Let's explore the political tension and struggle during the rise of the Soviets in Russia in 1917 and make Dual Powers: Revolution 1917 a reality together.

If you have any advice, comments, questions or just want to say hi, please feel free to contact me through the "Contact me" link under my bio on this page. Or send me an email at keith@thunderworksgames.com.

Risks and challenges

Every project has risks. I've outlined some common areas of risk in board game projects and how I've done my best to address them.

> Artwork: All the artwork for the game is complete, with the exception of any images added due to achieving stretch goals or any last minute tweaks before sending the final files off to the manufacturer.

> Component Quality: I've worked with and built a great relationship with one of the best game manufacturers around, Panda Game Manufacturing (www.pandagm.com). Their proven track record on games like Eclipse, Terra Mystica, Pandemic, Belfort, and Mice & Mystics, proves they make great games with a high standard to quality. They also printed all previous Thunderworks Games titles including Bullfrogs, Blend Off!, Roll Player, and Roll Player: Monsters & Minions.

> Delivery Timeline: Unexpected delays out of my control can always occur (i.e. component shortage, manufacturer issues, customs delays, etc...). For the production schedule of Dual Powers, I've used conservative estimates to account for unknowns and bumps in the road.

> Fulfillment: I have received multiple estimates and will be working with established fulfillment companies that have proven track records for delivering quickly and efficiently all over the world.

> Fifth Project: Even though this is my fifth Kickstarter project, I have continued to spend endless hours researching Kickstarter as well as participating in many Kickstarters. I have done my best to foresee and minimize any obstacles or stumbling blocks.

In addition, in my life outside of this campaign, I have over a decade of project management experience on large-scale software projects. I will continue to leverage that experience and apply it to this project by anticipating issues and sidestepping hurdles that may arise.